The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has charged two men for allegedly conspiring to establish an Islamic caliphate in India, besides spreading terror in Tamil Nadu and neighboring states. The accused, Abdul Rehman and Mujibur Rehman, were allegedly involved in recruiting "Daris/students" to "secret classes" of the Hizb ut Tahrir (HuT) terror organization. They are accused of conspiring and preparing to undertake terrorist acts to promote the HuT ideology in Tamil Nadu and other places.
The US spy chief, now in India, earlier on Monday said the "longtime unfortunate persecution, killing, and abuse of religious minorities like Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and others has been a major area of concern for the US government and President Trump and his administration."
The Iraqi Prime Minister said that personnel of the country's national intelligence service, working with coalition forces commanded by the United States, had killed the head of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
Radical Islamist networks are deliberately targeting Muslim youths embedded within the country's professional and academic ecosystems, leveraging their skills, mobility, and digital reach to quietly strengthen operational capabilities. This trend highlights a dangerous evolution in terror recruitment -- one that exploits ideological faultlines, online echo chambers and transnational radical Islamist influences to attract individuals who outwardly embody India's modern and aspirational narrative, points out Dr Kanchan Lakshman.
The arrested men have been identified as Abdul Rehman alias Abdul Rahman and Mujibur Rehman alias Mujibur Rahman Altham Sahib, both from Thanjavur district, a statement issued by the NIA said.
The two men had been instructed to carry out a terror strike in a crowded Delhi location on Diwali, targeting a prominent mall and a public park.
The mayor of Darbhanga, Bihar, has sparked a controversy by suggesting a two-hour break in Holi celebrations to accommodate Friday prayers during Ramzan. Her proposal has drawn criticism from a BJP MLA, who accused her of calling for 'Ghazwa-e-Hind'. Meanwhile, other politicians have condemned the mayor's suggestion and emphasized the need for communal harmony.
One must wonder whether Mr Modi's efforts to wine and dine the Big Two of today's world were seen as a sign of weakness rather than a proffered arm of friendship, points out R Jagannathan.
Ahead of Holi, controversial statements by leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and its ally Janata Dal-United in Bihar have heated up politics in the state which goes to the polls this winter.
The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has busted a terror module and arrested four individuals for allegedly promoting the ideology of Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). The arrests were made in a multi-state operation, with the accused involved in sharing radical content on social media to incite violence and establish 'sharia' law in India.
"Do not rejoice, America, in killing Sheikh al-Baghdadi," a spokesman said on the recording.
The women, along with their husbands, were executed after being accused of witchcraft and sorcery.
In a notification, the Union home ministry said the HuT is involved in radicalisation and motivation of gullible youth to join terrorist organisations, such as ISIS, and raising funds for terror activities.
Shivamogga superintendent of police BM Lakshmi Prasad said the arrested persons were working towards fulfilling these ideologies in the country.
North West India is what the ISIS is aiming at in its map of the caliphate. However, many Indian Muslims feel that the jihadists are making a mockery out of Islam. Vicky Nanjappa reports.
While confirming that the voice in the slideshow was that of Moosa, senior police officials did not rule out the possibility that the banned IS terror group was trying to create a base in the Valley.
Dr Andrew McGregor, director, Aberfoyle International Security, Toronto and senior editor, Jamestown Foundation Global Terrorism Analysis Program, Washington DC, says that further military intervention by the US in Iraq is a non-starter.
'No other terror organisation has valued popular consensus as the Islamic State does -- instead of repressing people, IS wants to gain their support. This is a major innovation in terrorism,' says terrorism expert and author Dr Loretta Napoleoni in an interview to Archana Masih and Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com.
The Pakistan Army is reported to have taken into custody one serving Brigadier and four Majors for having links with the Hizb-ut-Tehrir (Party of Liberation).
Driven from its self-styled caliphate in Iraq and Syria, Islamic State is down but not out. Where once they confronted armies, the extremist Islamist group's adherents have now staged hit-and-run raids and suicide attacks. In some cases, the group has claimed responsibility for atrocities, including the bombings of churches and hotels in Sri Lanka that killed at least 253 people. Its involvement is not always proven, but even if the link is ideological rather than operational, Islamic State still poses a security threat in many countries.
He said the new approach developed by his administration, empowered US commanders in the field, enabled partners on the ground, and directly confronted ISIS's "wicked" ideology.
Iraqi PM said the destruction of the sites was 'an official declaration of defeat' from the jihadists.
After a month-long buildup, the last urban stronghold of Islamic State in Iraq has for several days been almost completely surrounded by a 30,000-strong force.
The capture of Baghouz comes almost three months (December 2018) after US President Trump declared that IS had been defeated in Syria.
After the Afghan and Pakistani Talibans, the LeT and the LeJ, the most capable and lethal terrorist organisation today is the Al Qaeda of Arabian Peninsula, says B Raman
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi last appeared in 2014 during a sermon at the Great Mosque in Mosul. The speech marked the rise of self-declared "caliphate" of IS in Iraq and Syria.
What is a caliphate? How will it impact Muslims in India and across the world? Experts analyse the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria's declaration of an 'Islamic state'
Rumours of Baghdadi's death have been frequently reported in the past.
The United States has offered rewards amounting to USD 20 million (around Rs 127 crore) for tips on whereabouts of four top leaders of the Islamic State, a day after the terror group claimed responsibility for its first attack on American soil.
Experts tell Rediff.com's Vicky Nanjappa about the impact of the 'Islamic state' on the terror world.
Any attempt to defang Islamic State must first cut off its main sources of funding, especially its revenue from oil sales, extortion and crime, ransom payments, and support from foreign donors. This will also be need to be backed up by efficient forces on the ground.
Similarly, in the class 10 syllabus, the topic 'impact of globalisation on agriculture' from a chapter on 'Food Security' has been dropped.
S Q R Ilyas, a prominent member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, tells Vicky Nanjappa of Rediff.com what the formation of the Islamic caliphate means to Indian Muslims.
In a security breach, ISIS militants have reportedly hacked tens of thousands of Twitter accounts.
The Islamic State has also seen a decline in its primary revenue sources
Dreaded Islamic State of Iraq and Syria is trying to expand its influence in Pakistan, with pamphlets being distributed in Peshawar and border provinces of Afghanistan, seeking support for jihad.
'We are Indians not by chance, but by choice.' 'Our ancestors had a chance to go to a State which was Islamic, but they chose to stay back in that State which was not Islamic.'
As the United States leads a sustained campaign against the dreaded terror outfit Islamic State, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said success against global terror is within reach if countries adopt a common strategy.
He also warned the Islamic State that America would hit them hard from nearby military bases if the terror outfit regains momentum.
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